Liverpool pull plug on £8 million deal for French striker after he spends
several days in Boston with the club's medical staff

Loïc Rémy’s £8 million move to Liverpool has collapsed due to a failed medical, forcing Brendan Rodgers, the manager, back into the transfer market for a replacement striker to fill the void left by Luis Suárez.

Rodgers said that he was prepared to wait until January to find the right goalscorer to assist Daniel Sturridge and Rickie Lambert, but it is clear that the club’s transfer committee will now work overtime to find an alternative before the start of the season.

Liverpool pulled out of Rémy’s transfer from Queens Park Rangers after he spent several days in the United States with Anfield medical staff. Potential problems were dis­covered and after careful deliberation it was decided that the transfer could not proceed. The Merseyside club are declining to comment on the reasons for the breakdown of the transfer, but it is understood that the decision was taken on medical grounds.

Rémy’s woe means that Rodgers’s attacking options are severely compromised, as £25 million midfielder Adam Lallana will miss the start of the season with a knee injury. Rodgers, who was able to confirm yesterday the £20 million signing of centre half Dejan Lovren from Southampton, insisted that he would rather reserve funds than make a hasty decision on potential recruits.

“It has to be the right type. If that means I have to wait until January then that’s what I will do,” he said. “In the midfield area and out wide we would still have a lot. We shall see, but of course you want to improve, and if the right ones are available we will look to bring them in too.”

Rodgers has plenty of funds at his disposal but the release clause in Rémy’s contract made him an attractive option, freeing up funds to reinforce other key areas of the squad.

Rémy was due to be unveiled shortly after his arrival in Boston last week and it was initially suggested that the delay in announcing his signing was due to the processing of paperwork. He was granted an extension of his leave to travel to New York with his family, with a view to joining his new team-mates later in the Liverpool tour. Personal terms were agreed and he was also offered Liverpool’s famous No 7 jersey.

While Rémy returns to England, Lallana has opted to remain with the Liverpool squad as he begins his rehabilitation. “It’s unfortunate for him, but thankfully at this stage of the season, where he has got a good level of fitness, that means he can recover quicker,” Rodgers said.

“He had looked great and it’s disappointing for him, but that’s the way it goes. But he is staying, he wants to stick with the team. He won’t be too far away after the start of the season, which is great news. This year is vital for us. You’re going to pick up injuries and we need to have the players who can step in and that’s what we are trying to build.”

When Rodgers has fully assembled his squad, many players who were mainstays of the side last season will have to adjust to a rotation system as the manager juggles the demands of the Premier League and Europe.

“The key for us is we are going to need every man in the squad this year,” he said. “It’s a season where we have to change the team to keep it fresh and dynamic. We need the legs in the team because we are a very attacking and creative side. We scored 101 goals last year so the key is that fearlessness in our play, but also the physicality is important.

“I have to bear in mind that these players took us to where we are, but we can’t settle on that. We came second last year but our idea is to win and that’s why we need to have a squad to handle it, and with the extra competition this year we will need it.

“We have to keep moving. Success last year was getting into the Cham­pions League and only just missing out on the league, but we have to look to keep progressing. I think we have done that and I am really excited with the ones we have brought in, with hopefully a few more to come. Then we will have a squad to compete on every front. We are not down because we missed out last year, we see it as having taken a big step forward. Now we need to push on again.”

Liverpool are presently in Chicago. They played their second tour fixture against the Greek side Olympiakos last night.